Report: US says no Iran deal without enriched uranium handover, keeps military option open
Washington says more than 900 pounds of highly enriched uranium remain buried beneath the rubble of Iranian nuclear sites struck by the US
Washington will not conclude a nuclear agreement with Tehran unless Iran relinquishes its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, US officials said, warning that military action remains an option if the material is not surrendered.
The uranium, which is believed to remain beneath the rubble of Iranian nuclear facilities struck by the United States, has been dubbed “nuclear dust” by President Donald Trump and other administration officials.
“Either they’re going to give us the nuclear dust,” one official told ABC News, or the United States would use what the official described as “very low-cost military options” to ensure the material remained permanently inaccessible.
Another official said Washington could draw on military, diplomatic and economic pressure if Tehran refused, but stressed that possession of the uranium was a non-negotiable condition for any agreement.
“If we don’t get the dust, we do not have a deal with Iran,” the official said.
Iran is believed to possess more than 900 pounds of highly enriched uranium. The fate of the stockpile is among the issues to be settled during a 60-day negotiating period established under the memorandum of understanding signed by Washington and Tehran in June, Reuters reported.
The 14-point memorandum called for the two sides to agree on a mechanism for disposing of the enriched material, with dilution inside Iran under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision set out as the minimum requirement. It also declared an end to military operations and gave the parties up to 60 days to negotiate a final agreement.
The nuclear demands come as the wider agreement has begun to unravel. Trump said Friday that Washington had accepted an Iranian request to continue negotiations, but declared the ceasefire “over” following renewed attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and another exchange of US and Iranian strikes.